Inflator for pneumatic life preserving apparatus



July 27, 1954 R G, FOX

INFLATOR FOR PNEUMATIC LIFE PRESERVING APPARATUS Filed Allg. 28, 1951 rw l /dTTDFF/vs/ Patented July 27, 1954 INFLATOR FOR PNEUMATIC LIFE PRESERVING APPARATUS Robert G. Fox, Lake Grove, Oreg.

Application August 28, 1951, Serial No. 244,068

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to life preserving apparatus and particularly to an inlator therefor.

The main object of this invention is to provide a means for inilating a pneumatic life preserver, or life raft, manually at the desired time or automatically when the device cornes in `contact with the water.

The second object is to make an inliator of the type which will be operative at the will of the operator or to be operated automatically when the operator is unable to actuate the device.

The third object is to provide a special form oi mechanism which will be easy to manufacture and which cannot be easily rendered inoperative.

I accomplish these and other objects in the manner set forth in the following specifications as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a vertical section through the device showing it in a locked or storage position.

F'ig. 2 is a section taken along the line 2*-2 in Fig, 1.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig, l but showing the parts in position after manual operation.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. l but showing the parts in position after operation was by contact with water.

Like numbers of reference refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring in detail to the drawing there is shown a portion of a pneumatic life belt or raft i9 around which projects a nipple il on which is, keyed a sleeve I2 which is integral with the body iii of the device. The body i3 has a cylindrical opening i4 at one end and a dividing partition I5 between its ends i9 and il. In the opening i4 is placed a cartridge i3 of compressed CO2 which is held in place by means of a cap i9. A passageway 29 connects the opening i4 with the interior 2| of the nipple i l.

In the partition i5 is formed a-n opening 22 in which is slidably mounted a pin 23 having a valve head 24 formed on the side nearest the body end I5. The pin 23 has a perforating point 25 which can be driven into the cartridge end 2E for the purpose of releasing the gaseous contents thereof, thereby permitting same to new through the duct 29 into the member iii.

rlhe portion ci the body i3 nearest the end It is provided with an internally threaded side outlet Z1 into which is threaded a double ended bushing 28 which end 29 is provided with an opening E@ which slidably receives the plunger 3|. The plunger 3| has formed thereon a liange 2 32 which is slidable within the bore 33 of the bushing 23. A spring 34 is disposed on the plunger 3| between the end 29 and the flange 32 tending to urge the plunger 3| outwardly.

On the plunger 3| is a crushing head 35 which engages a tablet 3S made of iiour, chalk, gelatin or any material readily soluble in water, which acts as a plug and is held in place by means of a cap 3l which is threaded onto the bushing 2Q. The cap 3l has an opening 38 in the end thereof. The bushing 28 has an opening 39 formed therethrough.

The plunger 3| has its end 4i) projecting slidably into the tubular sleeve 4| which is slidablc through the boss 42 formed on the side of the body I3. rlhe outer end 43 of the sleeve M is closed and the inner end 44 of the sleeve 4| is anged outwardly to retain the sleeve in position and also to act as a seal.

The plunger 3| is out away along its central portion 45 to receive the forked end 46 of a bell crank lever 41 which is pivoted on the pin 46 and its short end 49 bears against the valve head 24.

On each side of the boss 42 is a standard 53 between which standards is a cam lever 5| which is mounted on a pin 52 carried by the standards 5|). The lever 5| has a cam surface 53 which is tangent to the straight side 54, which straight side normally engages the end 43 of the sleeve i when in its outermost position, at which time the plunger end 40 is also close to the end 43.

The lever 5| is normally held in the position shown in Figs. l and 4 by means of a wire clip or seal 55 which can be easily opened or separated without the use of tools by merely hooking into the hole 55 in the lever 5| and into the lug 5l formed on the side of the body I3. The lug 57 is long enough to support the lever 5| as shown in Fig. l so that the mechanism cannot be tripped by a movement of the upper portion of the lever 5| toward the body 3. A pull cord 58 is attached to the lever 5| and has a button 59 attached to the end thereof.

The operation of the device is a-s follows: With the parts in the position as shown in Fig. l and the user is forced to take to the water, he may iirst release the clip 55 and, at the proper time, pull the cord 5B which actuates the lever 41 and forces the point 25 into the gas lled cartridge i8, thereby releasing the gas into the float I9. This condition is shown in Fig. 3.

If, on the other hand, he has not released the clip 55 or has failed to pull the cord 58, then the soluble wafer 36 gives way under the pressure of the spring 34, which also actuates the bellcrank lever 41, and releases the gas from the cartridge I8. rIhis condition is shown in Fig. 4.

In the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the parts have been operated automatically by contact with water without ever releasing the safety pin 23, the parts are in the same position as shown in Fig. 3 except that the sleeve 4| and the lever 5l have not been moved.

I am aware that there are numerous forms or" automatic inflating devices on the market for pneumatic life saving equipment. I do not claim such devices broadly but I d0 intend to cover such forms and modifications thereof as fall fairly within the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. An inator for pneumatic life preserving apparatus comprising an elongated cylindrical body having a dividing partition between the ends thereoi, a pin slidably mounted in said partition having a piercing point at one end and a valve at the other end thereof, a gas iilled cartridge in one end of said body adjacent to said pointed end, a bell crank lever mounted in said body having one end engaging the valve end of said pin, a plunger slidably mounted in said body drivably connected to said bell crank lever, a spring for urging said plunger in a direction to force said valve toward its seat and to force the point on said pin into said cartridge, a water soluble tablet forming a stop for holding said spring in compression and a manually operated cam lever mounted on said body for moving said plunger and actuating said bell crank lever.

2. In a device of the class described, a cartridge puncturing mechanism comprising a body having a piercing pin projecting therefrom, a bell crank lever having one end engaging said pin and having the other end of said lever forked, a plunger slidably mounted in said body having a reduced middle section engaging said fork, said plunger having a sleeve slidably mounted in said body and slidably supporting said plunger, said sleeve being closed on the outer end, a cam lever mounted on said body normally engaging said sleeve in its outermost position, a spring on said plunger for urging it to a retracted position, and a holder for a water soluble tablet whereby same may be held in the path of said plunger under the pressure of said spring, and whereby the device may be operated manually without breaking or dissolving said tablet and said tablet may be dissolved and cause the operation of the bell crank lever while said cam lever is inoperative.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 701,329 Graham et al. June 3, 1902 1,329,990 Muller Feb. 3, i920 2,527,604 Walk Oct. 31, 1.950 

